Duchess Anna Amalia library reopened

On October 24, 2007 - the birthday of the Duchess Anna Amalia, for whom the library is named - the world-famous library in Weimar was reopened to the public following the catastrophic fire of 2004.

Drees & Sommer ensured that the tight schedule and budget were adhered to and that all planning specifications were met. The client - the Weimar Classic Foundation - invested some EUR 12.5 million in the restoration. Drees & Sommer had been involved in the extension of the Study Centre from 1999, with successful handover of the project at the beginning of 2005. Following the fire, the experts took over project management for restoration and reconstruction of the damaged Duchess Anna Amalia library. The challenge for the project team was restoring rooms damaged not only by fire, but also by water. Some 180 cubic meters were used for fire-fighting, one third of which entered the building. The world-famous rococco hall with its wood paneling was also fire- and water-damaged. "For this project, even we - as experienced project managers - were in unfamiliar territory and had to start almost completely revise the project after the fire because of the level of restoration required," said Ralf Hanemann of Drees & Sommer Munich. The project managers coordinated emergency measures and redrafted the project, taking damage from the fire into account. One of the tasks for the restoration of the historical building was to ensure complete dehydration of the building fabric within the tight schedule. Despite the extensive renovation and restoration work required, the tight schedule, the project was completed on scheduled and within budget.

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